1. Field of the Invention
The invention is a methodology for enabling the visualization, acquisition, understanding, utilization, creation and sharing of information using document structures and visual or pictorial representation of documents.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous teachings exist for displaying document information in a visual or pictorial manner. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,613,946 Method and Apparatus for Generating Hierarchical Displays, U.S. Pat. No. 4,764,867 Display System and Method for Constructing and Editing a Hierarchical Arrangement of Information and U.S. Pat. No. 5,644,740 Method and Apparatus for Displaying Items of Information Organized in a Hierarchical Structure. However, the prior art does not provide a mechanism for quickly and easily assigning categories to selected portions of document information and using the assigned categories to produce a pictorial representation of the information appropriate to the assigned category in an intuitive and easy to understand manner.
A method and apparatus are described for converting a document which contains words and images which is intended to convey information in a traditional, linear format into a document or display in which the words and images are rearranged so that the result is laid out in a pictorial representation which makes it much easier for a person using the document to understand its content. To create the easier to understand pictorial/graphical representation, a document, in its original format, is stored so that it can be accessed by a user using a personal computer or work station including a monitor, storage, keyboard and pointing device. The document in its original format may be created by a word processor or the like. Using an interface which forms part of the present invention, a user having a computer or workstation accesses the document in its original format from the storage such that it is displayed on the monitor. The user scrolls through the document and selects portions of the document, and each selected portion is assigned a category for subsequent processing. The categories which may be assigned are selected from among the following: i) structural, ii) functional, iii) procedural, iv) time based, and v) event based. Additional categories may be added as a function of the desired end result and specific sub-parts or diagrams. The user selects which of the five categories to assign based on the subject matter of the text and images. For example, if the subject matter is a description of the parts of an automobile engine and how the parts connect to each other, the structural category would be assigned. If the subject matter is a description of how the engine operates, the functional category would be assigned. If the subject matter is a description of how to build the engine, the procedural category would be assigned. If the subject matter is a description of the history of facts leading to the development of the engine, the time based and/or event based category would be assigned, depending on what one wishes to communicate or emphasize. If specific dates are more important and is to be communicated, then the time based category would be assigned. If the specific events which occurred are more important than the time when they occurred, then the event based category would be assigned.
The invention provides an interface which makes the selection and assigning of categories process easy, intuitive and efficient. Once the categories have been assigned to selected portions of the document, a new document is created which displays the information in the original document in a much easier to understand pictorial/graphical representation. Specifically, portions of the text and images of the original document are selected, using for example, a mouse or other pointing device. The selected portions are then assigned a category selected from S T E P F, i.e., structural, time based, event based, procedural or functional. After all the desired text and images in the document has been assigned one of the S T E P or F categories, the selected portions are then sent to a corresponding software module for processing based on the assigned category. Since there are five categories, there are five modules. If additional categories are needed or desired, appropriate additional modules may be added. Selected images in the original document are sent to a sixth module for processing. After the processing of the text has been performed by one or more of the first five modules, and the processing of images, if any, has been performed by the sixth module, a seventh module is used to link the converted text and images together. If images are not present or desired, then no further processing needs to be performed by the sixth and/or seventh modules. Further processing, which is optional, may then be performed to create multiple hierarchies by an eighth module. A ninth module, which is also optional, may be used for editing layout, content and/or format. A tenth module, which is also optional, may be used to perform what is referred to knowledge level conversion.